The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar

A moving and informative memoir of life with a much-loved tawny owl.
     
'Perched on the back of a sunlit chair was something about 9 inches tall and shaped rather like a plump toy penguin with a nose-job. It appeared to be wearing a one-piece knitted jumpsuit of pale grey fluff with brown stitching, complete with an attached balaclava helmet. From the face-hole of the fuzzy balaclava, two big, shiny black eyes gazed up at me trustfully. Kweep, it said quietly. Enchanted, I leant closer. It blinked its furry grey eyelids, then jumped up onto my right shoulder. It felt like a big, warm dandelion head against my cheek, and it smelt like a milky new kitten. Kweep, it repeated, very softly.'

When author Martin Windrow met tawny owlet Mumble, it was love at first sight. Raising her from a fledgling, through adolescence and into her prime years, Windrow recorded every detail of their life together in a south London tower block, and later Sussex. This is the touching, erudite and eccentric story of their 15-year relationship, complete with photographs and illustrations of the beautiful Mumble. Along the way, we are given fascinating insight into the ornithology of owls -- from their evolution and biology to their breeding and hunting tactics. The Owl Who Liked to Sit on Caesar is a witty, quirky and utterly charming account of the companionship between one man and his owl.

MARTIN WINDROW is a military historian and author, and the founder publisher of Osprey Books. He is an Associate of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Foreign Legion Association of Great Britain. He lives in East Sussex.